


Too Good to Say Goodbye

by BriMarie



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: A little angst, Exes, Exes to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Longing, Nini Salazar roberts - Freeform, Personal Growth, Pining, Reconciliation, Ricky Bowen Being an Idiot (HSMTMTS), Ricky Bowen Loves Nini Salazar-Roberts, Summer Camp, Yearning, high school musical the musical the series - Freeform, hsmtmts, inspired by the book, ricky and nini stories, ricky bowen - Freeform, rini - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27291499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriMarie/pseuds/BriMarie
Summary: Ricky and Nini coping without each other during the summer they were on a break.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	Too Good to Say Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> This took me longer to finish due to finals and the election. I’ll post on thanksgiving for sure, but I’m not sure about in between. Depends on my finals.
> 
> Not to brag but I’m from GA, and we totally are part of the reason the orange is packing his bags. It’s a party in the USA baby 💅🏾✨
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy this fic!

Ricky had felt his nerves running wild in his body. His hands were shaking as he slowly approached her house on his skateboard. He's been on edge the past few days due to both his home life and Nini leaving for theater camp for a month and a half tomorrow.

He was gonna try his best to appear as if all was well in front of Nini since he knew she'd feel bad for leaving him while he's in a frenzied state. He didn't want to be the reason she stayed behind. 

When he pulled up to her house, he lightly knocked on the door. He bounced on his feet nervously as he waited for the door to open. He was greeted by Momma D with a warm smile. 

"Hi Dana."

"Hi Ricky! Come on in, she's upstairs packing." She held the door open for him, giving him a brief hug and taking his board. He quickly went upstairs to her room. Her door had been half way open, and he could see her folding clothes on her bed oblivious to his presence.

He knocked before entering, making her direct her attention to him. His heart warmed up at the smile she got on her face when she saw him. She dropped the shirt she was folding and ran up to him.

"Hey you." She loosely wrapped her arms around his neck as she gave him a quick peck on the lips. 

"Hey Neens."

"I was just packing the last few things. I thought I'd be done before you got here. After I'm done, I'm all yours." 

"No rush. I'll wait on the bed." He gave her a peck on the cheek.

She blushed and released herself from him. Nini had been really giddy all week, and it wasn't only because she finally got to go to theater camp. For the past few weeks, she had come to realize that she had loved Ricky and wanted to tell him in a special way.

She had asked Kourtney and a few others what they thought was a nice way to say it for the first time. Kourtney had sent her a list of unique and cute ways to say those special three words, and Nini really loved the last suggestion.

She chose to write a love letter describing all the things she adored about him. She planned on saying it to his face after he was done reading it, and he would hopefully say it back. And then they'd kiss passionately like they usually do when they got really excited. She couldn't wait.

When she packed her final article of clothing, she joined him on the bed. She crawled into his arms, cuddling with him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder to pull her closer and plants a kiss on her head. 

"How do you wanna spend our last night until you leave?"

She guessed this was a better time than any to bring out the letter. She sat up straight. "Um actually I wanted to give you something before I left."

That piqued his interest. "What is it?"

She rolled over to her nightstand's drawer and pulled out a folder. She rested it in his hands. He looked down at the folder as if it were a foreign object.

"What's this?"

She smirked. "Open it and find out silly." 

He smiled at her as he took the sheet if paper out. She rested her head on his shoulder feeling butterflies in her stomach. She really hopes that he likes it. He begins to read over the fancy cursive. 

_Dear Ricky,_

_I have enjoyed every single moment we've spent together, and I can't wait to witness how our relationship blooms in the future. These past 11 months have felt like paradise to me. Who would've thought dating my best friend would be this exhilarating? The only regret I have is that I didn't date you sooner._

_You are my favorite person on earth, and I don't know what I'd do without you. You are so precious to me. I try to tell you how much you mean to me with every kiss, every hug, and every time we hold hands. But recently I realized that I don't just like you. It's so much stronger than liking. I just hope you feel the same way._

Ricky looks up at her with a confused expression when he read the last two lines. "Neens, what're you saying?"

She blushed and wiped her palms off on her sweats. "I was saying that I love you Ricky. I really do."

His eyes practically popped out of his head. He stared at her in disbelief, sitting completely still. He was truly speechless, which made her feel anxious. She cleared her throat. "So um what's on your mind right now?" 

He feels his heartbeat racing and knew that this was far too much for him at the moment. He has no idea how he plans on responding, so he does what he always does when things get tough. He gets up from the bed, folding the letter as he backs away from her. 

"Actually, I've been thinking. We won't be seeing each other for a few weeks, and the reception at the camp is pretty bad anyways, right? How about we just take a breather from each other? You know, like a temporary pause."

She raises a brow. "A pause?"

He nods. "Yeah, a pause. We can like recollect our thoughts during the break. It'll give us an opportunity to just think, you know?"

Nini felt a frog grow in her throat. She did not know what he was saying, but it sounded a lot like he wanted to break up with her because he didn't feel the same way. 

"Oh okay." She tried her best not to not let him see how upset she truly was. 

He gets a text from his phone and quickly reads it. "That's my dad. I should go, but have fun at camp. I'll text you, okay?" 

She doesn't have the strength to respond with words, so she just nods. He stands by the door waiting for her to say something, anything before he heads out, but she stayed silent. 

"Bye Neens."

She didn't even bother to look up from her lap. He frowned when he saw how blank her expression was. He's sure she feels sad right now, but she'll understand when they get back together at the end of the summer. She'll see that this was for the best.

He took one final glance at her before closing the door behind him. On his way back home, he kept replaying their conversation in his head convincing himself that he did the right thing.

***

Nini had been crushed since he left. She hadn't left her room all day and only told Kourtney about the break up. Her moms overheard her crying and tried to ask what was wrong, but Nini was far too upset to answer. 

They kind of already knew since she had started crying the second Ricky left and the fact that he was supposed to stay longer. She had scrolled through the pics of them on her phone, which only made her cry more. She didn't have the heart to delete any of them yet. 

Kourtney had texted and called her all throughout the night to make sure she was okay and even offered to egg Ricky's house for her while she was away. That comment made her laugh for the first time in hours, but her laughter was soon replaced with sorrow again.

She wasn't going to let this break up ruin her first camp experience even though it was going to be hard not to think of him. The ride to the camp was overall quiet with the exception of the radio playing in the background and her moms occasionally talking amongst each other. Nini had listened to her own music (she streamed Taylor's break up songs mostly) getting lost in her own world.

When they arrived at the cabins, Nini was amazed at how beautiful the scenery was. She felt as if she were in Camp Rock. She saw kids drumming on random objects, people dancing to music, and friends hugging after not seeing each other for months. 

She found herself smiling. The second she got out of the van, she was greeted by a red headed girl who went to her high school. She only somewhat knew her, and it was only because she was a theater kid at their school. She mostly kept to herself though.

"Hi, I'm Ashlyn! I'm one of the cabin leaders. What's your name?"

"Nina Salazar-Roberts."

She smiles when she spots her name on the list. "Ah nice! You're in my cabin. We're gonna have so much fun together. Here, let me help you get your bags."

"Oh you don't have to do that."

"Don't be silly. I'd love to help assist. Besides, you only have two bags."

"Thanks so much!" Nini wondered if everyone was as sweet and caring as her. If they were, maybe she'd love this place a lot more than she thought she would.

She walked over to her moms and gave them both a big hug. "Bye moms, I'll see you in a few weeks. I promise to send updates."

"You better." Dana says.

She gives them a fleeting hug before walking to her cabin with Ashlyn. Ashlyn directs her to her bunk by the window and leaves her to unpack so that she can greet more campers. Nini plays her musical playlist as she unloads her things.

As she placed her clothes in the drawers, she spotted a familiar baby pink hoodie in her bag. Her heart stopped when she noticed who it belonged to. She totally forgot she had packed the hoodie he gave her months ago. She meant to take it out but must've been too distracted by the break up to think of it.

She then started remembering the day that he gave it to her. It had been right after a date, and he had bought them slushees from the theater.

_"I still can't believe you made me sit through that catastrophe of a movie."_

_Nini rolls her eyes and takes another sip of her cherry slushee. "Oh shut up. The Greatest Showman is a masterpiece. You just don't understand musicals."_

_"That would be correct, and that's why I leave all that theater stuff to you. But it was your day to choose which movie we watched, so I guess I can't be too upset."_

_She smiled and got on her tippy toes to peck his cheek. "That's why we work so well."_

_He reached down to try to give her a brief kiss, but didn't notice his cup was tipping over. He had accidentally spilled some of his blue raspberry slushee on her top staining it horribly. She jumped when she felt the cold ice hit her skin._

_"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Neens! I'll get you a napkin."_

_She waved him off. "No, wiping it will only make it worse. I'll just rinse it out in the sink. I'll be right back."_

_He grabbed her arm and took off his hoodie. "Here, take my hoodie. Don't want you walking around with a wet and stained shirt."_

_"You're gonna be cold."_

_"You'll be colder with a wet shirt on."_

_She couldn't argue with that, so she just grinned and took the hoodie from him. She came back wearing his hoodie with her shirt in one hand._

_"How do I look?" She vogued for him making him smile._

_"You wear it better than me babe."_

_"Don't worry; you'll get it back."_

_He shook his head. "Keep it."_

_"Really? I know how much you love this hoodie."_

_"I love it more when my favorite person in the world is wearing it. It makes it ten times more special."_

_She blushed and locked arms with him. Ever since, she wore it whenever she missed him or wanted to feel warm. She treasured that hoodie with all her heart._

And now it was just a symbol of lost love.

She heard the door to the cabin open. She immediately recognized the guy who entered to be EJ Caswell. He was one of the most popular athletes and thespians at East High, and she wouldn't be shocked if he were a big deal here too. But why the hell was he in her cabin?

"Oh I'm sorry. I was looking for my cousin Ashlyn. Is she here?"

She shook her head. "No, she went to greet more campers."

"Oh okay. Sorry for just barging in. I thought it was empty." He gave her a quick scan. "Hey I've seen you around before."

"Oh yeah, we both go to the same school. I'm also in theater."

He snapped his fingers. "That's it! It's Nini right? You're dating that skater kid."

She cringed at the mention of her ex. "Yes to the name part, and no to the dating part. We kinda split."

He gives her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"Well, when you're done unpacking, some of the campers are gonna go do some karaoke so we can get to know each other better. If you're not busy, you should join. It'll be in the mess hall."

She never thought there'd be a day where EJ Caswell would invite her to do anything. Hell, she never even thought he knew she existed. This was also a great opportunity to keep her mind off of Ricky. 

She smiled and nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Maybe camp is exactly what she needed right now.

***

Ricky missed Nini far more than he thought he would. Her absence was taking a toll on him, and it was obvious to everyone around him. Big Red had to deal with it the most though. He'd listen to Ricky go on a tangent about how much he missed Nini. 

Red had told him numerous times that maybe he should consider talking to other girls, but Ricky wasn't fond of that idea at all. He didn't want to talk to other girls; he just wanted a little break. Slow their roll for a little bit.

To get his mind off of Nini, Red decided to take him to the skate park. It had worked for the most part. He had gotten to practice a few new tricks he's been working on as he spoke with a few skating buddies. Listening to his alternative rock playlist also distracted him from Nini since she didn't favor that genre of music. 

He had been so focused on his tricks that he didn't notice that someone was rolling towards him. The person had collided with him causing them both to fall. Ricky quickly got up to his feet a little thrown from the sudden fall. 

"Oh my god, I'm sorry! I'm such a klutz."

He looked at the person who knocked him over and smiled. She had been pretty cute with her blond braids and hazel eyes. He had seen her earlier and could tell she was clearly a beginner. He reached out his hand for her.

"It's no biggie."

She grinned and took his hand. She dusted herself off and looked up at him. "I'm still trying to get used to ollies."

"I can tell."

She cringes. "That obvious huh?"

He nods and laughs. "Yeah, just a bit. Don't worry; you'll get the grasp of it soon."

"Let's hope so." She holds out her hand to shake. "I'm Skye with an e."

He takes her hand and shakes. "I'm Ricky with a y." 

She chuckles and releases his hands. He ends up speaking to her for a solid five minutes. She's a pretty cool girl, and he can see possibly being friends with her. She shared a lot in common with her. 

She liked superhero movies, alternative music, obviously skating, and she even liked playing guitar sometimes. Turns out she went to North High, which made them both joke about their little school rivalry.

But then that reminded him of Romeo and Juliet, which was a play that Nini had played a townsperson in back in eighth grade and made him think about her. He ended up bringing Nini up and their really weird relationship right now.

He told her about the break, their intense history, how much he missed her, and how he doesn't know how he's going to approach her when she comes back. Skye listens intently with a blank face.

"Wow, this Nini girl sounds amazing. Maybe you should talk to her if you talk about her with so much passion. I've been gone for a while now, and I don't wanna worry my friends. It's been nice talking to you Ricky."

"Yeah, you too."

He waved at her as she rolled back to her friends. He sighed knowing she definitely would not talk to him again. Maybe he shouldn't have brought up Nini, but he couldn't help it. She occupied his mind. 

When they went back to Big Red's place, he had informed him of his rant about Nini. Big Red sighed. "Dude, if you miss her this much, maybe you need to go ahead and get her back."

"You think so?" 

"Breaks are for people who wanna see other people, and something tells me that's not at all what you wanted."

"No, not at all."

"Cool, now you know to ask Nini if you could un-pause when she gets back. Problem solved. I think this break actually made you realize you didn't want to be apart from her."

"So it's actually good that I paused it?"

"I think so. It helped you realize you need her."

Ricky smiled. Red was right. This break was healthy for them. Everything will be fine. All he had to do was tell her, but he wouldn't see her another four weeks. 

A few days after, he sees a picture of Nini on Instagram. She's in the same photo with a few other campers. He recognizes the dude beside her as EJ Caswell who was a year older than them. He had his arm wrapped around Nini. He admitted he wasn't really thrilled to see that, but didn't think much of it. 

He read the caption and smiled when he read that she had gotten her first lead in a play. He was so proud of her since he knew she had it in her. The first thing he wanted to do was call her and congratulate her.

He opened up his message with her, and he gets a little sad when he realized the last time they texted was over two weeks ago. He begins typing asking when the show was, how she deserved her major role, and how he wanted to get back together and maybe they could celebrate after the show.

But then he doesn't send it. He backspaced until it was blank and ended up sending a simple "Hey" before tossing his phone to the other side of his bed in defeat. He felt like such a coward.

She doesn't reply all week, and it makes him disheartened. He checked his phone every once in a while to see if he maybe missed a message, but was always left disappointed. He saw that his message said it was delivered, but it was never read.

Maybe the reception in the woods was bad, or she's far too busy rehearsing to look at her phone. He decides that she was just too occupied to respond and tries not to let it get to him.

***

The past few weeks had been very eye opening for Nini. Camp had brought out the best in Nini because it had made her more confident. She could give a lot of credit to EJ for that. Since they spoke in her cabin, they've only gotten closer. 

He turned out to be a lot kinder than she thought he'd be. She can see why so many people admired him and wanted to be friends with him. He had always pushed her to get out of her comfort zone so that she could shine.

He never made her feel like she couldn't accomplish anything, and she liked that he was a really emotional person who said exactly how he felt. She wasn't used to expressive guys and wished Ricky could've been more like that. 

EJ and her had always lifted each other up. After a while, it became their little thing. Sometimes she thought that his encouraging words and kind eyes came off a little flirtatious, but she didn't want to assume. It's not like every guy that's nice wants to be with her.

He was a nice person to be around to help her thrive as a thespian and was overall fun to be around. It was a bonus that he was nice on the eyes. If she told Kourtney about this, she knows that she would tell her to go for it. 

But she's not sure if she should. It hasn't been that long since her first major relationship ended. Though he didn't love her back, her feelings didn't completely disappear that quickly (She tried).

EJ and her had been looking over the lines for _The Music Man_ since they both got leading roles after Emily had unfortunately gotten too sick to perform. She hated that she had gotten it by default, but she wouldn't let the cast down.

EJ had prepared her for this. She just hoped people finally saw her potential. While she was reading through her lines, she feels her phone vibrate. She takes a peek at who it was and felt her heart stop.

_Ricky: Hey_

She just stared at her phone blankly, not sure what to say back. It had been weeks since they've spoken, and she had no idea what would make him text her out of the blue. 

EJ gently rested his hand on hers with a worried expression. "Hey Nini, everything alright?"

She snaps out of her daze and nods. "Oh uh yeah sorry. Just got some weird spam message."

He nods in understanding. "No one important?"

She looks at the message again deciphering if he were even worth the energy right now. She silenced her phone and places it in her pocket. 

"No, not at the moment."

***

Nini felt like she could fly. 

She always loved being on the stage even when she was the bottom half of the horse in _Gypsy_ in freshman year, but this was truly something else. This was heaven on earth. 

She wants to feel like this every day of her life. She felt bad for being happy that Emily fell ill, but can't help but feel like it was a sign from the universe. She had absolutely nailed it as Marian Paroo, and everyone else was amazed at how fantastic she did. 

It was obvious that she gave the performance her all. The best part of the night was when the crowd all cheered and gave her a standing ovation at the end. She could see her moms, Lola, and Kourtney in the crowd all cheering the loudest. She sees the happy tears in her mom's eye, and she's sure she's never been so proud of her. 

Despite feeling like she was on top of the world, she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. She wasn't sure what, but she knows there's a small void. She ignores it though deciding to live in this euphoric moment. 

When the cast all run behind the curtains, they all rejoice on their performance. They all hug and squeal as they compliment each other's work. EJ had tapped Nini on the shoulder right before she entered her dressing room.

He had the brightest and widest smile she had ever seen. "You did amazing out there Neens. I mean, I already knew you had it in you, but you went above and beyond."

Nini blushes and lightly nudged his arm. "Stop, you were great out there too. You were the perfect Harold to my Marian."

"Yeah we make a pretty great couple don't we?"

He puts a strand of hair behind her ear, making Nini giggle nervously. "Uh yeah I guess we do."

She watches as he slowly approaches her, staring down at her lips. She knew for a fact that he was going for a kiss, and she figured she'd give it a shot. After what felt like centuries, he finally planted his lips on hers.

The kiss was short and sweet; it was the type that would make all the girls swoon and pop up their leg like those cliché chick flicks. 

When he releases her lips, he smiles. "I'm going to go get undressed before I go meet up with my folks, but I'll catch you later."

Nini just nods as she watches him walk away. She went into her room and locked the door behind herself. She feels herself tear up a bit. EJ was so perfect. He was so ideal for her and was pretty much everything she wanted in a guy.

So why did she not feel a spark? 

***

Ricky's household has been a warzone as of recently. Though neither of his parents have out right said it, he knows that they for sure are going to split in the near future. There wasn't enough couple's therapy in the world that'd fix them. 

They had been screaming until their lungs gave out on them for the past three days. Ricky wouldn't be shocked if his ears would begin ringing if they continued any longer. After he had enough of overhearing their matches, he decided to leave to catch a break. 

His parents wouldn't notice when he left the house nowadays until they realized that it was late, and there was no sound of Green Day blasting upstairs. It's not like it'd be hard to find him. He was always at the same four places. 

He lets his mind go on auto pilot as he listened to his playlist rolling through the neighborhood. He had no destination in mind, but anywhere was better than that pathetic excuse of a home. After rolling around for ten minutes, his feet guide him to a driveway.

He felt his face go pale when he noticed the familiar house standing in front of him. He guesses he shouldn't be all that surprised. Her house was the first place he'd go to when he wanted to escape from his home, and now it’s a house he wasn’t welcomed in. 

He sees the front door open, and Carol comes out. She looks taken aback by Ricky's presence.

"Ricky honey, what're you doing here?"

He felt his heart warm up at the sound of her kind voice. Carol had such a comforting voice that always made him feel welcome. It was another perk of visiting here. 

"Sorry, I was just passing by. I'll go now."

"Wait Ricky, is there something you need?"

Ricky shook his head.

"Are you sure? You're crying. Do you want to come in? I can make you some cocoa to help calm you down."

He swiftly wiped the tears away, not even registering that he had been crying. He felt embarrassed for being caught in such a vulnerable state by his girlfriend’s mom. He needed to get out of here.

"It's nothing. Thanks for your kind offer. I'll just be on my way now."

He can tell that she was about to say something else, but he skates away before she could. He settles for the skate park to pass off the time, letting himself get lost in his mind since anything was better than reality. 

***

Ricky had been restless all day. Why you may ask? Red had informed him that Nini was back in town. Apparently, he had seen her in the back of her mom's car as he was on his way to his parent's pizzeria. 

Ricky desperately wanted to go visit her and ask all about her summer. He wanted to hear all about the play she got a lead in, the friends she made, the whole shebang. He also of course wanted to discuss ending their little break.

He was ready to be with her more than ever. He hated being apart from her and never wanted to be away from her this long again. He couldn't wait to see her again. 

He decided to wait until she was settled in, figuring she'd want to chill after a long day of driving. He chose to go to her house the following day. He had stopped by a convenience store to pick up a cherry slushee knowing it was her favorite. 

He had practically ran over to her house full of excitement. When he pulled up to her doorstep, he took a moment to rehearse what he planned on saying to her. He fixed himself up until he felt he was presentable. He took a deep breath. This had to be perfect.

Right as he was about to ring the doorbell, she opens the door. They both jumped at the sight of one another. She looked beautiful and a little dolled up more than she usually did, but he liked it. She’d look stunning in anything anyways.

"Ricky, what're you doing here?"

He almost forgot how to speak due to seeing her after so many dreadful weeks. He holds up the slushee as if that were a clear answer in itself. 

"I heard you were back in town and figured hey why not stop by?"

She eyed the frozen drink in his hands but made no move to take it. "Why?"

He was a little surprised his intentions weren't obvious, but he didn't think much of it. "I wanted to catch up. You know, talk about our summers and maybe about other things..."

She didn't even have to ask what he meant by that. She folded her arms. "What's there to talk about Ricky? You broke my heart by ending things with me before I went off to camp because you didn't love me back. That's that."

He was confused by her accusation. "What? I never broke up with you! I said a temporary pause so we can recollect our thoughts. I'd never break up with you."

She contorted her face. "Ricky, literally everyone on earth knows that a break is just a nice way of saying break up."

He shook his head. "No, no Neens that's not at all what I meant. I just wanted time to think about us. The break was supposed to strengthen our relationship by proving that we care about one another."

She frowned. "You needed a break to know whether or not you cared about me?"

"No! God no, I've always cared about you Nini. I will always care about you. I'm just saying that being apart from you made me realize that I never want to go on another break again. I was hoping it'd be the same for you. Does that make sense?" 

She rolled her eyes, not believing what she was hearing. "Ricky, I didn't need nor want the break to know how I felt about you. _You did._ I was crushed when you told me you wanted a break from me. I thought that maybe I did something wrong or you lost interest in me."

Ricky wanted to cry at the sight of her tearing up. "Neens..."

"Ricky, did you ever even plan on loving me?"

He froze in his spot. Of course he planned on loving her. He never said he didn't feel that way. "Of course I planned on saying it back!"

"Oh really? Then say it."

His face fell at her request, and he couldn't help but stare at her with a lost expression. He wanted to say it so badly. He knew he felt it in his heart, but his brain and tongue decided not to function.

She sighed, clearly disappointed. "That's what I thought."

She walks passed him to her car. He turns around and runs to her side. 

"Wait Nini."

She didn't meet his eye as she opened her car door. "I'm so done waiting."

He was about to say something, but she beat him to it.

"I need to go. I'm late for a date."

Ricky's heart felt like it had been stabbed and twisted with a knife. She doesn't wait for his response as she gets in the car. He stares at her through the driver's window. For a moment, she felt bad for being the reason for how distraught he looked. 

He takes one last look at her before walking out of her driveway. She swore she saw his eyes welling up. When he's fully out of her sight, she allows herself to let out the tears he had been holding in. When she finishes, she starts up the car trying (and failing) not think about the guy who held her heart in his hands. 

***

It's been a full week since Nini ripped his heart out with those last nine words. He couldn't stop repeating that entire altercation. He'd only get angrier the more he thought about how poorly he handled it. He just couldn't say those 3 little fucking words back could he? 

They weren't even hard to say, yet here he is beating himself up for letting his stupid lack of communication skills ruin his chance to be with Nini again. He knows that the only way to get her back is by ridding all his doubts from his mind and just saying it.

He knows he feels it in his heart, and she deserved to hear it. Then he remembers that she had gone a date with some guy. He was too brokenhearted to even find out who it was, knowing it'd just feed into his self-torment. 

That was part of the reason he gave her some space, but it was mostly because he couldn't stand being the reason she was crying. He always hated seeing her cry, especially if it was because of his stupidity. Not wanting to think anymore, he grabs his skateboard and heads to the park. 

It was ridiculously late to be going to the skate park, but he didn't care one bit. Besides, he liked when the park was empty. It gave him the freedom to do whatever as he blew off some steam. He had jumped on railings and ramps with more aggression than he normally did. 

He had seen a figure in his peripheral vision and directed his eyes that way. He squinted trying to make out the silhouette approaching him. He noticed the person was a girl who had been too focused on her phone.

When the person got close enough, he gasped. "Nini?"

She looked at him with an equally surprised expression. "Ricky?"

"What're you doing here?"

She nervously bit the inside of her cheek. "I just wanted to get some fresh air. You know, clear my head."

"Skate park is an odd choice for you, especially at this hour."

"You're one to talk. What're you doing skating alone at 11pm?"

"Same reason as you."

They stared at one another for a solid minute. It was clear both had been thinking the same thing, but didn't want to start anything. 

“I’m just gonna go...” She turns on her heel about to leave the park. 

Ricky felt his heart ache the farther she got. Suddenly feeling a burst of confidence, Ricky ran over to her. 

"I'm dumb!"

She stops in her position and turns back to him. She raises her brow. "What?"

"I'm so fucking dumb for wanting that stupid break. I let my stupid insecurities and my parents failure of a marriage affect our relationship, and I'm sorry for that. Of course I want you Neens. God, you're all I want. I'm sorry I made you feel that I didn't. You're all I've been thinking about for weeks now. I can't even go a full day without thinking about how much I want to hold you, kiss you, and tell you how much I love you. It's actually embarrassing how much I think of you, but I don't even care! But I also understand that you've moved on and probably want nothing to do with-

She holds up her hand, cutting him off. "Wait, back up. What did you say?"

He tried to remember what he said. "Which part?"

"I'm pretty sure I heard you say that you loved me."

He blushed and awkwardly puts his hands in his pockets as he looked at the ground, too bashful to meet her eye. "Yeah, I do. I love you Neens."

He didn't hear her react and was too afraid to see her expression. He heard sniffles which finally made him look up. He was shocked to see she had been crying and his bashfulness quickly switched to concern.

"Neens, what's wrong?"

She wiped her tears and chuckled. "I'm not upset. I'm just so happy."

He felt his lips turn into a crooked smile. "Yeah?" Then he remembered that she had gone on a date. "What about that dude you went out with?"

She waved him off. "Oh that? I ended up not even going."

Ricky tried (and failed) to contain his smile. "Wait really?"

"Yeah, after you appeared at my doorstop, I realized that I was only going on the date because I didn't want to be thinking of you, not because I wanted to pursue the guy. I called him and told him I wasn't interested. Luckily, he hadn't already been at the restaurant, and he was really cool about it. I just went to some random coffee shop so my moms wouldn't ask why I came back home so early."

He stood in front of her and wrapped his pinky around hers. "So what I'm hearing is that you never stopped loving me too?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, so what if I didn’t stop?"

He smiled and slowly wrapped his arms around her frame. She slid her arms around his neck. 

"Well if you felt the same, then maybe I'd kiss you." He says teasingly. 

She smiles brightly. "Maybe I'd really like that."

He grins and ducks his head down. She gets on her tippy toes and meets him halfway. They both melt into the kiss the second their lips meet, missing the feeling of each other's lips. 

He brought her close to his chest and deepens the kiss. He pulls away for a second to look at her, which confused her.

"Why'd you stop?"

He rests his forehead on hers. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming."

She beamed and pressed her lips against his again. He smiled against her lips, picked her up, and swung her around. She giggled whole heartedly as her feet dangled in the air, and he almost forgot how heavenly her laugh was.

When he sat her down, she gave him a few pecks across his face before resting her chin on his chest. 

"As much as I enjoy kissing you under the stars, I think we should probably head back home before our parents start to look for us."

He cups her face. "You're worth getting in trouble for."

"Sweet, but if we get grounded, we won't be able to go on our first date as a reconciled couple."

"I'll walk you home!"

She laughs at his quick change of heart. He gave her a short and sweet kiss before grabbing her hand. As they walked to her house, they started to catch up on all the things they missed since their departure, sneaking a few kisses in between words. 

When they got to her porch, she gave him a passionate kiss and hugged him so tightly he was worried she'd break his spine. 

She grips his shirt tightly as if she were afraid he’d disappear. "Never leave me again, okay?"

He nuzzled his head into her shoulder. "Wouldn't dream of it."

They had stayed in one another's embrace in silence wanting to relish this moment. She had been the first to let go but only because she didn't want to keep him out too late. 

"I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams Ricky." 

She kissed his cheek before opening her door and entering. 

“Wait Neens!”

She paused waiting for him to speak. “Hm?”

He smiles. “I love you.”

Her smile mirrors his. “I love you too.”

He blushed. “Night Nini.” He blows her a kiss before walking down her driveway before her moms could possibly see him. 

He heel clicked before hopping on his board back to his house. He couldn’t help but smile like an idiot. He was so thrilled he finally got the other half of his heart back. He’d make sure he’d never let her out of his grasp again. 

He promised himself that he’d do better for her. He’d never let her forget how much he loved her because she was worth fighting for, and a love like theirs was one in a million.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've read it already, you can tell this was totally inspired by the Rini book. I loved reading about how they were doing and wanted to do my own version mixed with the canon one. If you haven't read it yet, you should!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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